A Tale of Two Jam Buds
by Lionheart261
Summary: A collection of short fics I wrote as part of the Jam Bomb event on Tumblr(link here: post/170359292146/jam-bomb-an-entire-week-full-of-connverse), all centered around our favorite pair of Jam Buds!
1. Day 1-Midnight

Hey, everyone. Sorry the next chapter of The Rose Quartz War's been taking so long. Life. You know how it is.

So, to tide everyone over and maybe brighten up a day or two, I've decided to compile a series of short fics I've been writing for the Jam Bomb event over on Tumblr, going on from 3/1/18 to 3/7/18(link in the summary)into one collection for your enjoyment. They aren't connected through any kind of chronology beyond all taking place after the current point in canon, but they're all based on each day's particular prompt and brimming with every variety of Connverse goodness. Cute goodness, action-packed goodness, angsty goodness-there'll be a fic for every preference.

This first one was for Day 1 of the Jam Bomb, on 3/1/18. The prompt: Slumber Party. I wrote this in the dead of night with barely any proofreading, so expect some errors. Anyway, hope y'all enjoy the first of this series of 7 fics.

:::

 **7pm-** As Doctor Priyanka Maheswaran sat down at her desk and groaned in exasperation with the ever-increasing workload of her job at Charm City Medical, her eyes fell to the pride of her office's photo board: a picture of her husband Doug and daughter Connie, sword fighting with sticks. Every parent among the hospital staff may consider her, however correctly, "the mother hen" among them due to her strict parenting style, but even she knows the simple beauty to be found in such moments of total familial silliness. Suddenly, she is summoned to the room of a new arrival once more, and her grueling work resumes.

 **8:30 pm-** Having returned after a liver transplant, the removal of a kidney stone, and a horrific peanut allergy, Priyanka prepares a cup of coffee, slumps into her office chair, and downs it in a single gulp. Her eyes then fall upon a more recent addition to the board: a picture of Connie and her best friend Steven, sitting side by side as they watched the snow fall. Doug took it without them looking, to Priyanka's initial chagrin. However, it *was* a pretty cute picture, and Steven was the first person Connie ever really became friends with, so…an anonymous third party stashed away the photo and took it to work while no one was home.

Given her greater open-mindedness as of late and her busy schedule, Priyanka recently agreed, rather reluctantly, to allow Connie to wait for her to pick her up at Steven's house whenever work got too busy. At this point…this could go all night. She moves to text Connie and warn her of this.

 **9:30 pm-** Another liver transplant. And a broken jaw. And two kids who were bit by a dog that the owner was only 50% sure didn't have rabies. She isn't sure how much more of this she can take…

 **11 pm-** Body…sore. Alertness…gone. Mental acuity…questionable.

A collapsed lung, two broken arms, a broken leg, and lacerations all over the epidermis from glass shards. In one patient. It's a miracle he's alive, slightly more so than the miracle that she didn't fall asleep and accidentally rupture an artery.

Half of the staff was gone. Priyanka couldn't leave now-they had to have some people on hand at all times, and until Doctor Gero came in for the graveyard shift at 11:30, she was stuck in this sterile, B-movie horror set of a hospital. She looks at the picture of Connie again and thinks back to her own childhood-well, those moments of it which could be called a childhood. She somehow misses it. At least during that time, there were brief moments of fun intermixed with the grueling busywork. Now it's just busywork, only replacing pen and paper school assignments with life-or-death operations upon living beings.

 _Maybe her spending more time with Steven and his family is a good thing_ , she thinks. True, from what Connie tells her, this sword training of hers can be pretty taxing, but at least her instructor remembers to let her be a kid afterwards. And she's surrounded by people who are considerate of her needs.

After drinking the last of her coffee and kicking such pessimistic thoughts out of her head, she finishes up any leftover paperwork from the day's work.

 **Midnight.**

Having driven up to the "driveway" of Steven's beachfront home, Priyanka walks up the steps and goes up to the door. On it is a note which simply reads:

"Dear Dr. Maheswaran, the children have fallen asleep. Although we will not be present by the time you arrive, rest assured they are safe. You may come by tomorrow to pick up Connie. Sincerely, Garnet."

"P.S.: Yes, Connie did text you beforehand, but as she had done so while you were driving, I wrote this note to ensure that you got the message one way or another."

Priyanka raises an eyebrow. Connie had told her this Garnet person could see the future, but this…this is just disturbing.

She turns on her phone, which she had left off in her desk during the last few operations, to find that Connie had indeed texted her beforehand.

She takes a quick peek inside through the open window. Inside, Steven and Connie lay asleep on the floor at the foot of his bed, cuddling together as some movie or other was still playing on the television. Underneath them was the strange pink lion she had met all those months ago, allowing both of them to rest in the fluffy cushion of its mane as it stood watch and held the two in its embrace to protect them from possible danger.

Priyanka smiles slightly at the scene before walking back towards her car and leaving the two friends alone until morning.


	2. Day 2-All Fun and Games

This next one was for Day 2 of Jam Bomb(3/2/18). The prompt: "Video Games/Training." The story: "All Fun and Games."

Hope you all enjoy.

:::

Nature has a startling way of creating a sense of calm. Even amidst the various actions of the wide variety of plants, animals, and other creatures inhabiting the landscape, peace is still maintained. There is a reason it is said that a tree falling down never makes a sound when no one's around, after all.

But unfortunately, all such scenes of calm are inevitably disrupted. And in this particular case, that disruption came in the form of a plasma bolt incinerating a group of trees.

The mechanized war machine, momentarily frustrated in its efforts, recalibrated its targeting sensors and set out in pursuit of a hooded figure running away from it on foot. Surprisingly fast on their feet and remarkably agile, the machine's target was able to narrowly avoid a series of potshots fired at them, instead striking more innocent trees.

However, the machine began to grow wise to their movements, and compensated for their expected countermove with its next shot, which it fired with what could almost be described as giddiness. Only the figure's own quick reflexes were able to save them, as the brunt of the bolt's destructive power missed them, merely knocking them down and setting fire to their cloak. Falling down with a cry of frustration and pain, the figure tore away the flaming cloak and looked up at the approaching machine.

Stevonnie grimaces and immediately takes off, the machine in hot pursuit. After attempting to lose it in a dense line of trees to no avail, they leap up into the air and spin around on a tree branch to momentarily evade the machine and gain an advantage. As the machine looks around frantically for its missing target, they come skyrocketing down to the machine's face, sword raised to slice its head in two.

However, the machine is quick as well, and intercepts the strike with one of its tentacle-like limbs. The sword is stuck, embedded in the lacerated metal as the machine's ancient circuits, exposed to the air after millennia of decay, spark around it. No sooner can Stevonnie react accordingly than another limb juts out to smack them across the glade, landing against a tree.

Unarmed, they next summon two shields to try and use as boomerangs, but these end up sticking almost harmlessly into the machine's main body. Now with no other options, they begin to debate internally over what to do as they summon a larger shield and begin to advance upon the machine.

 _ **"Um, Connie, are you sure about this?"**_

The machine's 4 targeting sensors lock onto the fusion.

 _"Relax, Steven. I've gotten this technique down pat."_

Tracking the target point with their eyes, Stevonnie moves their shield to a position where it is in the epicenter of the impending blast.

 ** _"Yeah, in a video game! What happens if your timing's off?!"_**

The machine's cannon begins charging, its whine growing ever higher in pitch as it gathers energy, ready to vaporize the warrior.

 _"Just trust me."_

Panicking, Stevonnie tries to form a bubble, but they stop themselves.

 _"Trust. Me."_

They take a few anxious breathes and, shield outstretched, face down the machine as it sends a powerful charged plasma bolt right at them.

Just as it's about to hit them, Stevonnie reacts, and for a moment time seems to slow down. In that brief instant, they suddenly push forward against the bolt with the shield, flicking it in the exact opposite direction with all of their strength.

Miraculously, the maneuver works, and the reflected plasma bolt hits its intended target: the machine's targeting sensors and, beneath them, its primary power core.

Damaged but not quite dead, the machine is left engulfed in the explosion produced by its own plasma bolt as Stevonnie rushes the machine, leaping onto the limb which still had their sword embedded in it. In one fluid motion, they grab onto the sword and pull it free while simultaneously leaping high into the air. They angle themselves for a direct downward strike, assuming a kind of midair crouch as they aim for the power core. By this point, the machine's sensors have come back online and, knowing it cannot fire a shot fast enough, it extends all limbs not currently being used for locomotion to grab Stevonnie from behind. However, this time Stevonnie's speed proves too much for it, and they embed the sword deep into the power core. One of the machine's limbs stops dead mere inches behind them as the machine's systems shut down and the power core overloads.

Before it can do so, Stevonnie removes their sword, turns around, and leaps away in the same fluid motion, performing a double flip and landing in a crouch, sword outstretched, for dramatic flair's sake. Their timing couldn't have been better; as soon as they take out the sword upon landing, the machine explodes as if on cue, its ancient components spraying out in all directions.

Stevonnie lies in that crouch panting for a bit before getting up again.

Suddenly, a somewhat nasally voice rings out:

"Room, end program and save up to current progress."

In response, the debris of the machine immediately poofs out of existence along with the rest of the environment, disappearing in puffs of pink smoke until only Stevonnie and an endless sea of pink skies and pink clouds remains. Once this is complete, the invisible figure who gave the order reappears in a similar puff of clouds. Stevonnie recoils in surprise before realizing who it is: the great and lovable technician, Peridot.

"So," Peridot says, giddy in demonstrating the fruits of her genius, "I take it you are pleased with my modifications to your room's central processing unit?"

Stevonnie chuckles a bit as they wipe a bead of sweat from their forehead. One thing's for sure: this training session was much more of a workout than anything Pearl could devise.

"Yeah. I guess you could say that."


	3. Day 3-Revival

This fic was for Day 3 of the Jam Bomb event(3/3/18). The prompt: Resurrection/Newborn Baby. I chose resurrection and decided to take it in a different direction.

Trigger warnings in advance: death, violence, self harm, and mental trauma. Viewer discretion is advised.

Enjoy the show.

:::

Connie was the first one who saw her.

In the din of battle, it was tough to tell where each of the enemy combatants were. She dimly registered Pearl fighting three Citrines, somehow keeping all of them at bay. Amethyst and Garnet were on the ropes as 5 of them fused together into one giant Citrine, but once they fused into Sugilite, they began to wrestle on more even terms. Peridot had managed to hijack the ship the Umbalite and her task force of Citrines had arrived on Earth in, with instructions from Emerald to capture the Off Colors and all other rebel gems, and promptly began blasting the Citrines with the ship's limited armaments. Lars darted along the battlefield, using his portals to evade the enemy while hitting them with powerful shock waves from his fists. The other Off Colors were helping where they could, running at the Citrines in hopes of ganging up on them and only narrowly dodging their gem destabilizers in the process. Fluorite had even unfused for the first time in 300 years so as to provide greater assistance through their 6 component gems.

And Connie had just finished embedding her sword into a Citrine's face and watching her poof into a bunch of yellow smoke when she saw the Umbalite. A physically imposing figure, she was likely just as strong as a perfect cut Jasper, if not stronger, with a bright red glow to her which added to her menacing appearance. Steven had attempted to take her on when the combat started, and over the course of the battle had inflicted significant damage upon her. But by the time Connie had looked up, the tide had turned; Umbalite's repeated blows proved too much for Steven, and he was left gasping both for breath and out of pain as his right arm and both legs were broken.

Connie watches wide-eyed as the battle slows down in her mind and begins to go out of focus. She sees Umbalite pick up the defenseless Steven and slam him into the ground with all her strength. Now sufficiently broken to her liking, Umbalite decides to finish the job, picking him up once more and holding him in a brutal, crushing headlock as her arm twists his head left.

The snap reverberates throughout the battlefield, followed by the thud as Umbalite lets his body fall to the dirt.

Connie cries out louder than all of the loud noises of battle as tears cloud her vision. Suddenly she doesn't care about the 4 Citrines advancing upon her position. Her eyes dilate slightly as she enters into a state she thought she'd been able to repress. Whatever conscience might have told her not to lose herself like she did all those months ago at school was gone now. The voice in her mind telling her to give in was deafening. But, rather than losing control and descending into a blind fury, Connie shuts down and allows herself to take the dive and embrace the madness. She called it her "training instincts." Whatever it is, it takes over completely. Now, she has but one objective in mind:

Get to Steven.

Cut that red monster's head off.

And shatter her gem into a million pieces.

The first Citrine tries to rush her using a gem destabilizer. It apparently doesn't know what distinguishes humans from gems.

 _Uneven surface. Knock off balance._

Connie delivers a swift kick to the Citrine's left knee, causing her to stumble.

 _Disarm._

She then uses the pommel of her sword to deliver a blow to the Citrine's nose and cause her to drop her destabilizer for Connie to then grab with her left hand.

 _Specifics of weapon unknown. Likely proximity triggers response._

She leaps up and stabs the Citrine with the destabilizer, embedding it as far into the left side of her neck as it will go in order for it to activate.

 _Remove._

Connie twists around and grabs the destabilizer as it shuts off and rushes to meet the second Citrine, armed with another destabilizer. The first Citrine screams in agony as the destabilizing energy pulses through her body and cuts her physical form apart before poofing, but by that point, Connie had already stabbed the destabilizer into the second Citrine and kicked her down in order to get her out of the way. She meets a similar fate to the first.

The third and fourth Citrine, realizing they are outmatched, feint Connie into rushing towards the third one as the fourth one pretends to flank. In reality, the fourth one was merely moving into a proper position in which to fuse with the third Citrine as Connie leaps towards her and ends up caught in the Citrine fusion's chest.

 _Immobilized in fused form. Poof to escape._

She pulls out her sword and manages to stick it into the right side of the fusion's head despite being caught off guard. The fusion, already feeling as if they are coming apart, tries to stab Connie in the leg with its knife, but Connie twists out of the way enough so that it only grazes her with a long cut. She fails to register the pain.

The fusion then poofs apart into the two dazed Citrines as Connie angles herself into a roll from her fall, grabbing the knife with her left hand during the roll and throwing it at the Citrine on her left as soon as she returns to an upright crouch. The other Citrine is close enough that Connie easily reaches her and slashes across her chest with her sword in a matter of seconds. Both poof almost at the exact same time.

 _Threats eliminated. Proceed to primary objective._

Connie runs towards Steven at breakneck pace, adrenaline and instinct clouding her senses so that she only dimly registers Sugilite roaring as she mercilessly decimates the Citrine fusion she was fighting and begins a mad dash towards Umbalite at the same time as Connie.

 _Eliminate._

Connie brings up her sword and leaps forward as Umbalite, still gloating in her victory over Steven, is caught off guard. Connie manages to slice off part of her cheek; a serious wound, but not enough to poof. The affected "tissue" slides freely off her face and dissipates into regular light.

Connie is about to follow through on the attack when Umbalite pushes her back and can only slightly turn around to face Sugilite before Sugilite knocks her into the air. Hefting her wrecking fist with two of four arms, she leaps up into the air with a force which leaves a substantial crater in its place, and meets the falling Umbalite with the precise timing necessary to hit her with the full force of a swing from the wrecking fist, sending her flying into the cliff on the back of the Temple. The impact point, unintentionally to the surprise of all, was the gem located in her chest. She was stattered instantly, her shards so small as to pose little threat when they rained upon the remaining combatants below. Those Citrines still up, seeing that their leader had been casually obliterated, had the good sense to run while hitting Sugilite with pot shots from their destabilizers. Although they succeeded in doing enough damage to revert Sugilite into her component gems, Lars, Pearl, and Peridot were able to rout them with ranged attacks. Soon, all of the Citrines were poofed and bubbled away.

Having witnessed the end of her primary target, Connie blinks. Her pupils return to normal, and she begins to think clearly again. She can't allow herself to dwell on what she allowed herself to become. Not yet, anyway.

"Steven!" she cries out in terror as she rushes towards his broken form. She immediately checks for a pulse, hoping against hope that he's somehow alive.

Nothing.

She checks again, pressing harder. Still nothing. She presses even harder, on the verge of breaking his wrist, but it's no use. He's gone.

She begins inspecting other areas; his chest, his mouth and nose for breathing, feeling along the vertebrae only to find that they'd been severed at the precise point for him to die instantly. All the while she continually repeats his name, growing increasingly desperate as the others crowd around her and Steven, tears in their eyes.

Pearl sinks to her knees as Garnet and Amethyst kneel beside her. Peridot has to remind herself to keep the ship airborne. One of Fluorite's gems, an Amethyst, covers Padparadscha's ears, hoping that she won't hear the crying after her usual delay, but it's no use, and soon both of them are crying. Lars can't decide between sobbing uncontrollably or striking out in rage at being unable to prevent it, and settles on a compromise, blasting away a nearby boulder with a salvo of sonic blasts, tears in his eyes.

Connie buries her head into Steven's shirt front and sobs harder than she ever has at any point in her life. The core of her universe had been casually snuffed out, like a candle in the wind, and she hadn't been able to stop him. She was supposed to protect him, to keep him safe no matter what happens, and now he's-!

 _He's…_

*Bump.*

Connie stops her train of thought for a second. Did she imagine that, or was it…?

*Bump.*

Connie's eyes widen as she glances to the side slightly, and notices that Steven's gem is glowing brighter than it usually does. She presses her head to his chest, and hears it again.

*Bump. Bump.*

*Bump. Bump.*

A heartbeat. Barely regular, incredibly faint, but-a heartbeat!

"Guys! Come quick!" Connie says, panicking as she dares to hope against hope.

The others rush towards her as she points frantically at Steven's chest. Getting her meaning, Pearl leans towards it and hears the heartbeat as well, gasping in shock along with Amethyst and Garnet, who had not even anticipated this outcome.

"We need to get him to the healing fountain immediately!" Pearl cries. "We might be able to save him-!"

"There's no time!" Amethyst objects. "We don't know how long we can save him!"

By this point, Lars, having turned back and rushed over at Connie's cry, has an idea. He takes Connie's sword, which she had dropped in the sand, and cuts his right arm with it. The others admonish him out of shock, but Lars ignores their concerns and tries out his hunch by extending his dripping, pink blood over Steven's neck.

For a few seconds, nothing happens. But soon, the affected area begins to glow and the bone seems to be almost repairing itself. The party collectively tenses up with apprehension over whether or not he'll make it.

After about a minute of extreme tension, Steven's eyes open wide and he gasps desperately for breath. The others give him space before trying to calm him down as he hyperventilates, before gradually stabilizing. Once he is stable, his caregivers and Connie pull him into one giant hug as everyone cries tears of joy.

It's nothing less than a miracle.

And that's where it ends because I don't want to make this any longer than it already is.

Hope you all enjoyed it, and have a great night and take care.


	4. Day 4-What a Beautiful Wedding

This one was for Day 4 of the Jam Bomb(3/4/18). The prompt: Wedding/First Date.

But first, special thanks to a website called themonastery(.org) for helping me fill out a proper wedding script.

:::

They booked the dining hall of Le Hotel in Empire City, as well as the top floor suite for the couple. The staff were surprisingly enthusiastic about seeing Greg again, even though his last stay there had been rather…extravagant. The tailor he got the suits from last time was less pleased, but as some would say, there is no better motivator than a wad of cash.

The guests soon began trickling in, from Beach City and elsewhere. Lars and Sadie, arm in arm, came in alongside each of their parents, with the Off Colors coming in behind them and Padparadscha in the lead. Mindful of the limited space in the hall, Fluorite had defused, and each of their components were milling about, introducing themselves. The Pizzas and Frymans were also in attendance, Ronaldo bringing his girlfriend Jane as his plus one. Vidalia, Onion, and Yellowtail made it at Amethyst's invitation, while Greg invited Sour Cream to be the DJ for the night. Topaz and Topaz, who had deserted Homeworld to join Lars' crew while they were still in space and had come to live with Peri in the Temple upon their return, were also present.

Suddenly, the whole group went silent. Sour Cream began playing the Wedding March track on his set, and everyone sat patiently in their seats. After a moment, the door opened to admit the couple and their entourage, and upon seeing Steven and Connie, both wearing matching tuxes, everyone cheered. However, one fact immediately became apparent:

Steven had _really_ over prepared for his role as flower boy.

He'd spit on all of the seeds for "a nice little party trick," and by the time of the wedding all of the flowers had come alive into rose butterflies. Steven didn't have to reach into the container; once he opened the lid, the butterflies were let loose, fluttering about the hall to the delight of everyone.

Connie, meanwhile, content with just being a regular ring bearer, walked alongside Steven, chuckling when one of the butterflies landed on her shoulder and chirped with what she assumed was affection. She waved to the section of the pews where her parents were sitting.

Behind them were the maid of honor Pearl, weeping out of joy into her tux sleeve at the occasion, and bridesmaids Amethyst, who was even happier than usual and surprisingly comfortable wearing a skirt and heels and just _being_ in such a formal place, and Peridot. Greg was the best man and, well, only one of the groomsmen among the entourage. Andy, having volunteered to be the "father" of the bride as well as the minister, proceeded behind them.

And behind him came the people of the hour: Ruby in a small white bridal gown, and Sapphire in a tailor made tux.

The crowd cheered as the party made their way to the front of the hall and walked up onto the stage. Andy walked Ruby along to meet Sapphire before heading behind the pulpit. The two gaze into each other's eyes as Andy clears his throat and looks up at the crowd.

:::

"Uh, alright-ladies! Gentleman! Gems! Uh, we are gathered here on this beautiful day to witness the union of Ruby and Sapphire in holy matrimony. This is a day of, uh, great celebration and reverence, on which we come together before the Universe to recognize and commemorate the sacred love and dedication shared between these two gems. The, uh, bride and groom would like to thank their guests for being here, and would like you to know that each of you were invited here on this day because you have played an integral part in their lives. Marriage is, truly, a magical gift. In the, uh, millennia that Ruby and Sapphire have spent together, they've built the sturdy foundation for a lifelong relationship. After a great deal of thoughtful consideration, they have decided to formalize their binding of themselves to one another for the remainder of their lives. May you all remember and cherish this sacred ceremony, uh, for on this day, with love, we will forever bind Ruby and Sapphire together."

"Uh, if you think these two shouldn't be married, uh, speak now or forever hold your peace and all that jazz."

"…"

"Didn't think so. Alright!"

"Uh, you two have prepared vows, right?" He says, looking at the couple. They both shake their heads, to his surprise.

"There's nothing we could say we haven't already been promising for the last 5000 years," Sapphire says simply. Andy just kind of blinks.

"Um, a-alright then. Um, Ruby, do you take Sapphire to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold as long as you shall live?"

"I do," she says.

"Sapphire, do you take Ruby to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold as long as you shall live?"

"I do," she says.

"Alright. Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you wife and…wife, I mean, uh…married. I pronounce you married."

The audience cheers as the newlyweds smile widely at each other.

"Sapphire, you may now kiss the-"

Before he could finish the sentence, Sapphire had already rushed over to Ruby in a burst of superhuman agility and spun her around before leaning down and kissing her. They stayed that way for a good few seconds before both became engulfed in a flash of light, and Garnet emerged in a combination of the two outfits.

Andy is caught by surprise, but quickly regains his composure and adapts on the fly.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and gems, I now present to you…Garnet!"

The audience bursts into applause. The wedding party is, of course, cheering and clapping the loudest, particularly when Connie walks up and gives the rings to Garnet, placing them on her index fingers. As soon as everyone is in their seats, Sour Cream gets on stage with his equipment and cries out:

"Alright, everyone! Let's get this party started!"

:::

Hours later, when much food had been consumed, many jokes told, and even a song performed by Greg and Pearl on behalf of the couple, the attendees are still having fun laughing and joking. Some people have gone onto the dance floor as Sour Cream continues to pump out tunes from his set. Amidst all of this, Steven and Connie have been talking for hours, laughing and joking along with everyone else at the wedding table.

Suddenly, Sour Cream changes tracks.

"Alright, everyone. We've had some fun here, but hows about we put on a nice slow song for the fusion of the hour and all of the other couples here tonight, huh?"

The crowd approves of this idea, and couples married and unmarried begin pouring out onto the dance floor. Garnet decides to unfuse for the occasion, and Ruby and Sapphire giddily charge ahead to dance in the center. Topaz and Topaz also make use of the situation, as do Priyanka and Doug, Ronaldo and Jane, and Lars and Sadie. Padparadscha and Leggy dance as well after the former informs the latter 30 seconds after the fact that the dancing has commenced, and the two do the best that they can, but there are a couple instances where they move into areas Padparadscha thought were clear but had now been occupied by other dancers.

Greg, sitting next to Steven, watches them all with a slightly sad smile on his face, his mind drifting back to his own "wedding" with Rose. But his retrospection is broken when Pearl silently extends her hand. Greg takes it with a smile. At the same time, Amethyst, who had been sitting next to Connie, decides to go over to Peridot, who had been watching the dancers somewhat moodily, and ask her to dance, to which she accepts.

Now suddenly alone at the wedding table, Steven and Connie chuckle nervously before both looking away blushing profusely. Each one is thinking about asking the other, but it's ultimately Steven who decides to take the plunge.

"U-um, you know, maybe we…I mean, if you wanted to, we could possibly…um…"

Connie turns to him and, in spite of her blushing more and more by the second, chuckles at his awkwardness, evoking a chuckle from him in return. He steadies himself and tries again.

"W-would you care to dance?"

Connie masters her surging emotions and says with only a regular smile, ill suited to conveying her excitement at the prospect, "Of course."

She takes his hand and leads him towards the dance floor, trying desperately to keep him unaware of how much her heart is pounding. She doesn't need to, though; his heart is pounding so loudly he can barely hear anything else.

The two wrap their arms around each other and begin dancing, Connie taking the lead due to her greater experience in such matters. As the two dance slowly, the two make idle small talk as they struggle to come up with something to say to ease this tension that's suddenly building up. Eventually, after a few seconds of silence, the two look up and can clearly tell the other is blushing, which only further intensifies the tension. Ultimately, it seems like there's only one possible solution. This time, Connie takes the plunge.

She draws herself up closer to Steven, and unlike her first attempt over a year ago, Steven doesn't recoil. He is visibly anxious, however, and not at all sure about how to proceed or how any of this is supposed to work. Connie isn't quite sure either, but nevertheless the two gradually get ever closer…

Only for Padparadscha and Leggy to knock Steven and then Connie down while dancing around the room.

As Steven and Connie groan in pain their eyes meet. They look at each other with the same expression, and begin to laugh at their current predicament. Meanwhile, Padparadscha soon becomes aware of the impact and rushes to make sure the two are okay alongside Leggy. The young pair assures them that they are alright, and they continue on their way just as the slow song ends. After that, the two begin to dance more festively, and carry on like in that manner throughout the rest of the night without any further follow up, as if they know somehow that now isn't quite the time.

Well. Not yet, anyway.


	5. Day 5-Just a Normal Saturday

This fic was for day 5 of the Jam Bomb(3/5/18). The prompt: Gem Mission.

Hope you enjoy it.

:::

The creature came out of nowhere. One minute, Pearl, Stevonnie, Amethyst, and Garnet were wandering around the desert. The next, Stevonnie was flung back against the rock face with a loud thud by a gem monster resembling a large axolotl. Pearl looks back to see if they're alright, which soon proves to be a mistake as the creature steps on her with one of its massive feet.

As Amethyst and Garnet attempt to restrain the beast while dealing what damage they can, Stevonnie gets up groggily, having not had enough time to form a bubble.

 **"Welp, that sucked."**

 _"Agreed. Got any ideas, Steven?"_

Stevonnie thinks for a moment.

 **"Run up and stab it?"**

 _"Run up and stab it."_

With this plan in mind, Stevonnie gets up and charges the beast.

"Garnet, give us a boost!" they say. Garnet, already knowing what they're planning, gets the message. She leaps back and fires off her gauntlets at the beast's face, right behind Stevonnie's position. As they fly towards them, they slow to a jog, backflip into the air, and land shakily on the two rockets, speeding towards the beast's face. Next, they leap off, bubbling themselves as the explosion hits the creature so as to not be harmed as it lifts them upwards and adds greater momentum to their downward sword strike. They lower the bubble and embed the sword into the beast's forehead as it looks up before allowing gravity to pull them down along with the sword. By the time they drop off, a massive slash has almost completely cut down the creature's face.

But just as the gang expects it to poof, the gem monster makes a sound as if its gem is glowing before the affected area glows and repairs itself.

"What the-?" Stevonnie says in surprise before being smacked into the rock face again.

"It appears to be capable of regenerating from extensive damage!" Garnet shouts as she attempts to hold it off with an uppercut. "We'll have to locate its gem and pull it off or crack it in order to shut it off and take it down!"

"Got it!" Amethyst and Pearl say, aiming for the chin and back respectively and finding nothing indicating where the gem could be. Both are quicky subdued by the creature. Garnet then aims for the creature's dorsal side only to be repelled by two of the creature's six arms, which were previously converging upon a single point.

"It's on its stomach, covered by two arms!" Garnet says before being smacked around again. The other gems shakily get back up, but at this point the beast has shifted its attention to Stevonnie, who is just regaining consciousness.

"Stevonnie, look out!" Garnet shouts, and Stevonnie jolts awake just in time to kick off of the rocks in a horizontal trajectory, landing underneath the creature just below its gem as it crashes into the rocks. They get back up and slash at the two arms that try to intercept in quick succession. The creature hurriedly attempts to regenerate them to block its gem, but it's too late: Stevonnie uses their float powers to remain airborne long enough to cut a perfect circle around the creature's gem, causing the section of its body containing it to fall off. They then encase themselves and the gem in a bubble as the creature poofs, the only piece of it left being the section with the gem. With a great effort, Stevonnie is able to remove the gem from that section, and the monster poofs completely. Stevonnie bubbles it and sends it off to the temple before looking back at the team.

"Good work, everyone," Garnet says, winking at Stevonnie. The others smile and prepare to head back to the desert warp pad, for home.

:::

An hour later, after Steven drops her off on Lion, Doug Maheswaran arrives home from his latest contract's shift. After exchanging greetings, Doug asks Connie, slightly bruised and exhausted, "So, how was your day today?"

Connie shrugs before replying, "Oh, you know. Just a normal Saturday."

Doug raises an eyebrow in a knowing way, and Connie proceeds to tell him that Saturday's particular exploits.


	6. Day 6-An Experience

This fic was for Day 6 of Jam Bomb(3/6/18). The prompt: Fusion/Winter Night. I decided to go with Fusion.

Hope you guys enjoy.

:::

In life, one must often face difficult conundrums. Reconciling the different challenges and needs of different people interested in a common objective is an essential tenet to successful functioning in society.

In the case of Connie and Steven, the issue was as follows: the two of them were standing outside the gates of Funland, but Connie, although finally securing permission from her parents, was too short for any of the rides she wanted to go on, and Steven was banned from all of the rides for life. After discarding the classic trench coat method and Steven's idea to shapeshift his face to look different is judged by both as being incredibly risky and unable to correct Connie's issue, Connie is therefore forced to turn to the obvious solution. She looks at Steven.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" she asks. Steven nods, and the two sneak off behind a nearby dumpster before a bright flash shines across the nearby area.

:::

"WOOOOOHOOOOOOO!" Stevonnie yells triumphantly as they skyrocket up and down the massive rollercoaster, their enthusiasm a result of both Steven's infectious optimism and Connie's increased comfort due to Stevonnie's vastly superior durability in the event of any accident. Almost as a reaction to this possibility, they were the only ones who had gotten on, although it was also possibly due to the current marketing troubles of Funland. Out of sympathy for this, Stevonnie gives Mr. Smiley double the fare before getting on and a tip of another $5 when they finally got off.

Following this, Stevonnie spent most of their fare on other such rides; bumper cars, go karts, drop towers, and, later in the day, a new water slide Mr. Smiley had opened up in a brand new aquatic section of Funland(their experience aided greatly by the formation of half of a bubble to cushion them during the process), and of course Stevonnie loved every minute of it. After learning of the ride upon arrival, they were soon able to find a one piece swimsuit in the gift shop for the occasion despite the short notice, coincidentally featuring a single star in the center just like Steven's usual wear, but also being in Connie's favorite color, Teal. Stevonnie bought it immediately.

After going down the slide about 3 times and subsequently drying off, Stevonnie found themselves out of money, but a bystander about to go onto the slide agreed to lend them $5 when made aware of their predicament.

 **"Huh. Well, that was…weird."**

 _"Yeah."_

Stevonnie alternates between raising an eyebrow and scowling slightly at the retreating figure, but shrugs and keeps the money anyway, although in a slightly less chipper mood. After changing and heading back out, they come across one of the lighter attractions: the dreaded ring toss.

 **"Eh, how about we try something else?"**

 _"Relax, Steven. I've got this."_

Stevonnie walks up and hands over the $5. Mr. Smiley smiles wider than usual, even as Stevonnie carefully asks him for all of the rules of the game.

 **"Look, Connie, these games are rigged. Why don't we just wait for him to fall asleep, reach over, and put the rings in?"**

 _"Because that would be dishonorable."_

Stevonnie chuckles to themselves as they heft the rings, testing their weight before deciding on the optimum trajectory.

 _"Now, if I angle these just right and put just the right amount of pressure…"_

They flick one of the rings into the air with a considerable amount of force. The ring lands precisely where they had intended it to. Before Mr. Smiley can blink, they flick the remaining 4 rings in a similar manner, causing them all to land in a perfect row.

 **"…How did you do that?"**

Stevonnie chuckles.

 _"Oh, it must've been dumb luck, I guess. This game_ is _rigged, after all."_

Stevonnie continues to chuckle while one of their eyebrows arcs in annoyance. They select a giant alien plush to give to Peridot as a friend for her other doll.

:::

2 hours later, Stevonnie returned to the cliff behind the Temple. After a minute, they begin to converse again.

 **"Well, that was fun."**

 _"Yeah."_

 **"Too bad we couldn't visit more booths."**

 _"Eh, it's fine. I'm just glad I was able to spend time there for the first time. Together."_

Stevonnie's left cheek blushes a bit, causing a corresponding response in the right. They smile slightly.

 **"Yeah."**

Suddenly they get a text on Connie's phone from her mother, asking whether she'd like her to pick her up as soon as her shift ends at 5 or 5:30. They respond back, "5:30" before closing the phone and leaning back as they look out at the sunset.

 _ **"I think I'll stay up here a bit longer."**_


	7. Day 7-A Special Day

This last one was for Day 7(3/7/18) of the Jam Bomb. The prompt: Free Day. As in, do whatever you want.

Hope you guys enjoy.

:::

"Connie?" A familiar voice says.

Connie mutters something groggily, opening her eyes only slightly for a split second before going back to sleep.

"Connie, wake up, sweetie." The voice says, nudging her slightly.

This time Connie manages to keep her eyes open for a second, and would've fallen asleep again if it weren't for the aroma of fresh pancakes. She takes a few sniffs and eventually succeeds in waking up.

"Hm?" she asks sleepily. "Wha-?"

Her gaze falls upon her mother, Doctor Priyanka Maheswaran, smiling at her in typical maternal fashion, her father standing a few steps back. She then looks down at the pancakes her mother is holding in a tray-small pancakes sculpted by her parents in the shapes of her favorite things, all laid out in a circle. Her eyes widen as she spots an Archamicarus pancake to the left, and a Dogcopter pancake to the right, as well as various manga characters which could only have been crafted by her father. And in the center were two more characters together, stylized to look like numbers: a 1, and a 3.

"Happy birthday, Connie," her parents say.

:::

The Maheswaran family never really planned big parties for events like these. After having breakfast in bed and having a good time with relatives opening up family presents, the three went over to Beach City, where Steven and the other gems were waiting to continue the festivities with an evening picnic. Steven had his old pink vest on, and from the moment she saw him they were together throughout the entire evening. Soon, the time came for another round of gift giving.

"Ooh, ooh, ooh!" Peridot exclaims. "Please, allow _me_ to go first."

Connie smiles slightly and takes Peridot's gift, which she opens up to discover a distressingly functional replica of the plasma sword used in one of her favorite movie franchises. Connie soon shuts it off and gives it to Steven to bubble before handing it back, in order to make sure it stays safe.

"Well, I don't know if this can beat a sword, but…" Amethyst says as she pulls out a box which is later revealed to be the elusive variant edition of her favorite comic.

"Whoa! How'd you get this?" Connie asks, impressed.

"Oh, you know…ways," Amethyst says vaguely, thinking back to the aggressive "persuasion" techniques she employed against Ronaldo to get it. Connie is too intimidated to ask her to elaborate.

"You might not want this now," Garnet says, "But in the future…" she adds with a wink as Connie opens the box she made to look like it had been carefully wrapped. Inside is a _Spirit Morph_ brand diary. Garnet won't explain why she'll want it when asked.

"Here, kiddo. Thought you might like this," Greg says as he hands her a stack of old CD-ROMs for classic songs from when he was younger.

Pearl smiles and hands Connie a meticulously wrapped collection of her favorite manga, volumes 1 through 26. She had the prudence to cut it into four smaller sections so as to be easier to carry.

"I read through some of it myself. The art is exquisitely drawn, but her fighting stance is horrendous," she adds.

Connie chuckles. "It looks more accurate after volume 3."

And then there was Steven. He didn't show any wrapped present at first, instead instructing her to accompany him to the waterfront atop Lion. The others were a bit puzzled, and wondered what he was planning-Garnet exempted for obvious reasons, of course.

After riding out across the ocean for a bit, Steven has Lion stop. Connie isn't quite sure what he's planning either, and asks him why he brought her there. Steven seems to think about what to say for a moment, before finally starting off hesitatingly with a "Well…" He elaborates.

"I don't know, I guess for the last couple weeks, I've been thinking about it a lot."

"About what?" She says, cocking her head to the side slightly.

"The day we met. When we were stuck on the ocean floor together."

Connie's eyes are only slightly less confused now.

 _So we're above the same point where we sunk down that day. But why…?_

"And as I was thinking about that, I just remembered how…" He pauses for a second, as if the memory hurts him, "How upset you were, how you thought you didn't have any friends, how you thought that…that nobody cared about you." He begins to tear up slightly, as does Connie, but they both steady themselves.

"So…I want to show you something."

Connie is still confused about what he intends, but when he holds out his hand, she still grabs it. In a second, the two are engulfed in a bubble as Lion teleports back to the beach. However, they don't fall, thanks to Steven's floatation powers. He then takes something out of his pocket and holds it out. Connie is confused, but soon recognizes it: a photo he took of her a few weeks after they first met. Steven smiles awkwardly, somewhat sheepishly, as he says:

"I, uh, I've kept this by my bed for a while now. It was reassuring, I guess, because it was like, even if you weren't always there, I still knew you were."

He continues, "Recently I started carrying it around because I thought it might help with my floating powers. That being able to look at it might keep me happy enough for them to work. Because…because I can't think of anything else that makes me as happy as you do."

Whether it's part of his display or else completely involuntary, Connie couldn't tell, but the bubble begins floating higher without any forward velocity from Steven. She can't tell if he notices, and at any rate is more preoccupied with the tightening in her chest.

"I-if it wasn't for you, I'd probably have been frozen solid by that temple robot or eaten by that bird thing on that Jungle planet, or a hundred other things!"

The bubble rises past the lowest clouds in the sky.

"Every time I was being stupid or depressed or trying to shut everyone out, you snapped me out of it."

The bubble continues to rise.

"All those months ago, you told me I was incredible. You're even _more_ incredible!"

"I-I mean, you know how to sword fight, you're great at tennis, you know all sorts of cool things about video games and movies and survival skills and history and science and, just, everything!"

"From the moment I met you, I've wanted to be like you! Because you're cool and smart and caring and pre-uh, practical, and I'm just…"

The bubble stops, hanging so high above the water that the gang below look like specks.

"Just plain old Steven."

He pauses before continuing:

"Everyone down there, they're-they're there for you. They're there because you've done more for them than you can possibly realize, just by being there for them. Including me."

Connie can feel herself choking up.

"And…and I don't know if I'll ever be able to repay you for that. Stars know I haven't done a good job of reciprocating," he says solemnly.

"But even so, today, I just wanted to remind you how much of an impact you've made on so many people, just by being the cool, smart, caring person you are."

He pauses, and Connie tears up slightly before wiping it away.

"Steven…that's…that was beautiful."

Steven fidgets slightly.

"And…I know you might not feel the same way. I know I can be stupid sometimes. Stubborn, dense, and overall annoying. And I know that even thinking I deserve to be friends with you is almost entirely delusional."

Before Connie can correct him, he continues, "But in spite of all of that, I just want to say…"

He takes a deep breath as he prepares himself for what he's about to confess.

"I…I love you, Connie."

Connie is left speechless, and for a moment Steven panics, believing he'd screwed up irreparably, and the bubble begins to drop in altitude ever so slightly-not at any rate of descent that would pose danger, but enough to be noticeable. After internally debating how to respond, Connie reaches a consensus.

She leans over to him and kisses him on the lips, holding it for a good few seconds as Steven's eyes go wide and the bubble comes back to rest in the air. It is obvious that the sentiment is mutual.

When she pulls back, she puts her hands onto his cheeks and says simply, "Hey, rule 1: No more talking like that, by either party involved. Agreed?"

Steven nods, and the two smile and blush a bit until Connie leans in for a kiss once more, and Steven reciprocates wholeheartedly. They stay like that for a long time as the bubble continues to rise into the sky…


End file.
